Wayne and Kelly Parham Pi Speakers
Pi Speakers' Wayne Parham knows how to maximize the sound we enjoy in the LSAF hotel. He has a couple of systems that work quite well there and for 2019 he used four π mains (Pi uses all lowercase in their model names) with flanking three π subs powered by Audio Note triode and for source the ever reliably good (and sorely missed) OPPO universal player.
Wayne and Kelly Parham host one of the friendliest and most welcoming rooms at LSAF. The typical scene you will find in the Pi Speakers room is old friends getting reacquainted, new friends discovering mutual interests, discussions of the music being played, and occasionally Hi-Fi. Thus Pi Speakers is marketed at LSAF as the softest of soft sells. One does find Wayne and prospective or current Pi Speaker owners engaged in deep discussions however for the casual visitor it is easy to miss the depth of understanding Wayne brings to the enterprise of Hi-Fi.
One of the treats of LSAF is the happy hour after which we often group up and find a good restaurant to continue the fun over dinner. It was after one of those dinners that Wayne, Barry (a Pi owner) and I returned to the Pi Speakers' room. Driving back from the restaurant we had been listening to Wayne detail the technical benefits of the dual sub array. Briefly stated by arraying the subs outside and behind the mains' locations the narrow band response gaps room geometry create when a single pair of left and right channel woofers interact with room dimensions is addressed by the addition of the properly placed subwoofer array. With four woofers at differing distances from room boundaries the response gaps are filled. Back in the Pi room using Barry's well-selected demo tracks we listened with vs. without subs. The four π speaker uses 12" JBL woofers so the subs are certainly not needed for bass depth or output, especially in the small hotel suite room. Auditioned as a stereo pair the four π is fantastically full range with smooth expert blending between woofer and horn. It's a constant directivity horn so there is no hint of 'shouting' colorations. I was struck by how the four π delivers so much of the 'big speaker' sound we only get from large air moving capacity yet its box is a very user-friendly size. Wayne Parham has found an excellent compromise, large enough to deliver SET friendly efficiency and house a 12" woofer but well short of being a room dominating behemoth. In summary listened to in stereo pair configuration the four π is superb. Then we added back the dual sub array. The analogy that comes to mind is really good butter cream icing added to a really good cake, yes the proverbial icing on the cake. With the benefit of the A/B testing it was easy to hear the narrow band of bass being added back by the sub array. And the quality of both the four π and three π bass is such that more bass is better bass. I will hasten to clarify the 'more' in this context is not more level rather filling a response gap that would probably go unnoticed until as in this demo it is filled. The levels between four π and three π were carefully set so adding the subs did not change the tonal balance or thicken the midrange as is too typical in lesser implementations.
Wayne Parham's sells his Pi Speakers as both finished custom built sets or as kits for DIY woodworkers and those who want to save shipping costs and patronize their local cabinet makers. The prices are 'order quickly before he notices its 2019' low. Tremendous values that delivers fantastic Hi-Fi and musical enjoyment.
Russ Gates BlowTorch Audio
LSAF regular Russ Gates' Blowtorch Audio Werks returned for 2019 with a new 3-way tower speaker design featuring soft dome tweeter, dual 4" midranges, 8" woofer, and on the back panel dual 8" passive radiators. Demo system powering the new speaker included digital streaming or Parasound ZCD Player into Jolida Glass FX DAC front end sourcing the 60-wpc Jolida 801 Integrated tube amp.
With his speaker designs Russ' strengths as a designer include delivering tube friendly efficient designs that are wide-band and musical while also demonstrating a muscular almost macho character. In other words Blowtorch Audio speakers can ROCK. This ability to bring out the nuance we seek in tube electronics while also capable of quite impressive bass extension and dynamic punch is impressive.
Russ also builds tube amps and had this SET design on display, anode cap tubes on blue dyed Baltic birch base is the way to my heart.
Scott Warren Supra Hi-Fi
Another LSAF regular is Scott Warren's dealership Supra Hi-Fi who demo some of the most advanced and capable equipment available. For 2019's LSAF Supra Hi-Fi presented an edge-of-the-art system based around Mola-Mola electronics and Vivid loudspeakers. Their demo system included Vivid Audio Oval V1.5 speakers with JL Audio F113v1 subwoofers, Mola-Mola Makua line stage including DAC board upgrade and Mola-Mola Kaluga mono amps. The cable loom used all Analysis Plus with Silver Apex speaker and interconnects, Power Oval AC power cables; and Purple Plus USB.
Admittedly I was feeling a bit ornery by the last day of the show when I handed Scott a USB stick with a couple of tracks from my collection for the audition. Ornery because the first track was not-audiophile approved live loud rock and roll, specifically the classic 'Young Mans Blues' off Joe Bonamassa's Beacon Theater Live from New York recording. As part of the concert's finale and obviously inspired by The Who's iconic version the singer's lamenting is driven forward by searing electric blues guitar riffs and frantic yet precise and ever so muscular drumming. The gauntlet I had thrown down for Scott was could the reasonably sized Oval V1.5 + F113v1 speakers do rock concert levels without strain. Towards that end I asked for loud levels and was obliged. It is perhaps odd to say music that raucous can be the benefit of reproduction that is "exquisite", so be it because it was. Exquisite in this context feature the pace and timing of the performance pounded forward like a steam locomotive on a speed record run. The transient snap and muscular impacts as the drummer flails away at his kit, again exquisite. If you've been in the same room near a professional drummer going to town on his kit you cannot help but vividly recall hearing it with both your ears and the physicality of the pressure waves rolling through your body. Scott's Vivid Audio, JL Audio, Mola-Mola system proved itself easily capable of effortlessly reproducing that physicality.
Lest you think this system is a one trick rock and roll pony the other track on that USB stick was 'Silver' from 'Ahmad Jamal – Live In Marciac August 5th 2014'. Here 'exquisite' can be reused to describe the recording quality of this live jazz concert recording featuring a trio of the art's elder statesmen on double bass Reginald Veal, drums Herlin Riley, and of course playing piano Ahmad Jamal. Live In Marciac is one of those recording where the better the system the more filigreed details and musical textures one can hear and along with better and better separation, definition, and delineation of the three instruments. When the hi-fi is really together one also hears the love Ahmad Jamal expresses for his mentor the late Horace Silver whom the song is written for and dedicated to. Scott Warren's LSAF 2019 demo system passed my 'Silver' test with flying colors.
John Bush and Shirley Arata Manzanita Audio Solutions
Let's keep this short and sweet. After hearing several of his designs at the past few LSAFs I can state with confidence John Bush is an extremely talented speaker designer who produces thoughtful useable musical speakers. I especially appreciate and admire how he packages large format drivers as room friendly dipole systems. Listening this year to his Widow Maker III dipole on demo one of the attendees asked John if such a compact open baffle system can really handle bass and dynamics.
Widow Maker III
John's response was to cue up one of Telarc's romantic era symphony recordings at quite a healthy volume. Presented with triple fortissimos along with Telarc's ample rubenesque bass levels and the Manzanita Audio Solutions' system reproduced a full symphonic orchestra with delightful authority using just a few triode tube watts. Another impressive show by John Bush and Shirley Arata's Manzanita Audio Solutions.
Greg Roberts Volti Audio
At shows and on his web site Greg Roberts asks us to "Have Fun!" I find his request very easy to grant whenever I am listening to Volti Audio speakers. For LSAF 2019 Greg's demo system included Volti Audio Vittora speakers, Raven Audio electronics including Goldfinch DAC, Goldfinch preamp, and Spirit 300B PP monoblock amps. The cable loom introduced Raven Audio's new Soniquil Cables in all locations.
Volti Audio Vittora speakers are bespoke creations finished to the owner's specification. Greg keeps un-veneered sub-assemblies in stock to assure reasonable delivery times. When he shows these as at LSAF 2019 one can see the quality of materials and craftsmanship Roberts beings to bear on the task such as the thick custom laminated curved Birch plywood side panels. The open area behind the midrange and tweeter horns allows us to see the compression drivers and meticulously laid out crossover network that are normally hidden behind veneered panels. It calls to mind the cut away engines manufacturers bring to auto shows, except in this case we can take the Vittora for a test drive.
Greg's considerable finishing skills were on display with a clever low boy bench style amplifier stand with matching amplifier platforms. I really liked the thick laminated Birch plywood horizontal elements with exquisite burl veneer. The low height leaves the components on display while getting them safe off the floor and low enough to be out of the soundstage.
Volti Audio's Vittora system delivers outstanding reproduction well beyond the norm across both the frequency and dynamic ranges. With bass, midrange, and treble all horn loaded the reproduction is literally and as a direct result subjectively effortless. Effortlessly transparent to the source thanks to the low distortion of the drivers needing to move only microscopic distances even when creating thunderous crescendos. For the same reason the dynamics are opened up revealing just how most speakers hold back. Greg Roberts' artful crossover design seamlessly blends the drivers revealing music's rich tonality. That tonality combined with the dynamic expressiveness and transparency fully reveals the musicians' interpretation of the work and why they obsess over the lineage and tuning of their instruments. This effortlessness with which the Vittora goes about its task at volume levels from background to well beyond those advised for domestic settings is why it is easy in their presence to follow Greg Roberts' admonition and "Have Fun!"
Dave Thomson Raven Audio
LSAF 2019 brought exciting news from Raven Audio as the company moves from success to success expanding beyond its extensive line of tube amplifiers to now offer the CeLest' Tower and Corvus Reference Monitor speakers; and the Soniquil line of cables. Two demo rooms highlighted their offerings at both ends of the audiophile pricing continuum.
The first Raven Audio room featured their new Corvus Reference Monitor with Corvus Bass Module thus becoming the Corvus Tower System. Powered by Raven Audio Elite Series amplification including the top of the line Shaman Mk II monoblocks receiving signal from the Silhouette Reference preamp. And of course a Soniquil cable loom to connect it all together and to AC power.
This all Texas system leads one to ask is it possible for a tube audio system to demonstrate the macho characteristics of a Texas cowboy or A&M linebacker? The Raven Audio room answered that question in the affirmative. And like that cowboy it has a big heart switching from the power and sharp impact of a hard driving techno track to dripping with the emotion of a soul singer responding to whatever it is fed. When Joe Cocker sings 'you're so beautiful to me' the emotions are so thick you can cut them with a Texas steak knife.
Dave Thomson founder and CEO of Raven Audio is a man of many talents, founder of multiple businesses and once a charting professional touring musician he is also a great DJ, handy talent at audio shows. It was this talent along with the Raven Audio Elite Series system that gifted your author with a peak mountain top audio and musical experience. We had enjoyed several songs on the Raven Elite system and I reluctantly announced I needed to move on. Dave asked to play 'just one more song' not telling me what he wanted to play. From the first notes I was transfixed immediately in that zone where time slows and seems to stop as every fiber of your being is fully attentive to the music. A 'squeeze box' accordion was playing and the rich yet simple tone of that folk instrument along with the emotional intent of the musician was so vivid, so real, so intense. A few more bars into the song and it clicked, this was Steve Earle's classic 'Copperhead Road'. Thanks to heavy rotation on FM Rock radio I have heard this song 10s even 100s of times since it went gold in 1988, but never anything like this. Stunned and delighted I relished the next four minutes as the well-known narrative played out with the musicians' playing and Steve Earle's singing revealed anew the depth of the Americana musical tradition. Emotional impact of this caliber sits at the pinnacle of what the top state-of-the-art Hi-Fi systems are capable of and such moments why we quest after them.
Raven Audio
The second Raven Audio room featured the Avian Nighthawk Mk III amplification, CeLest' Tower speaker and Soniquil cables with an Emotiva DAC as source. Their first room amply demonstrated the heights Raven Audio can scale when the budget is deep into five figures. The second declared Raven Audio's intent to disrupt the value for dollar segment of the Hi-Fi world.
A sign on the door announced the amplifier, speakers, and cables could be had for $6995. In a Hi-Fi world where so many manufacturers race to reset the prices of individual components from five, to six, even seven figures chasing the new (and old) flock of millionaires how refreshing for buyers and worrying for competitors to find a system of this sonic and build quality at $7k.
Given the flawless deep gloss finish on the CeLest' Tower and high end metal work and gloss powder coating on the Nighthawk Mk III the visual impact of this system hit well above its weight class. The truly disruptive pricing of Soniquil cables help enable such a high performance to dollar ratio for the system.
It would all be for naught if the CeLest' and Nighthawk were just shining boxes. This system delivered the musical goods. Spend any time around Hi-Fi (or sports cars, or boats, or watches, or…) and we learn the price to performance curve has a critical inflection point where one enjoys a very high performance for in context reasonable cost after which modest performance improvements add cost at an exponentially increasing rate. Smart money finds that point, invests, and then enjoys. The sound of the CeLest' and Nighthawk system made a strong argument that Raven Audio has hit that mark with a bulls eye. Large enough speaker enclosure so the CeLest's dual woofers can provide more than adequate bass and dynamics. Sweet treble from the wave guide loaded ring radiator. The quad of 6L6 power tubes in the Nighthawk is basically the classic Dynaco ST-70 architecture with 50 years of development by the industry and three generations perfecting this design by Raven Audio. All in all proven architectures known to please executed to a very high level. This Mk III version of the Nighthawk includes a clever filter + subwoofer output feature that allows an easy upgrade path to add subs. With the power hungry low frequencies offloaded from the Nighthawk's power amp it powers the main speakers as if output watts have subjectively tripled.
Runs with Scissors
The low cost fun grassroots nature of LSAF allows individual enthusiasts who want to show up for the comradery and good time's easy entry. This gentleman's LSAF weekend home base was setup with a well curated system, relaxing lighting, and a play list to my liking. Silverline Audio Sonatina Speakers, VTL tube amps, Rotel preamp and North Star Designs DAC. Nothing for sale, just present to enjoy the people, music, and equipment.
Tekton speakers Raven amp
On the third floor a pair of very red Tekton Pendragon speakers were on display powered by another Raven Nighthawk amp and Mytek DAC. A too brief audition showed this combo as a very big sounding fun system. And very red.
